Well... It's been a confusing few weeks for Landlords and agents with regards to the new electrical safety standards. There's now clear (and hopefully, final) guidance regarding the new regulations. In short an 'Electrical Installation Inspection' must be in place for:

• New tenancies signed on or after 1st July 2020, and
• all existing tenancies from 1st April 2021.

Landlords are required to:

• Supply a copy of the report/test to each tenant within 28 days, and
• retain a copy of the report/test until the next inspection is due.

The good news is that, unlike gas safety certificates, these test are usually valid for a period of 5 years. Typically a test will cost between £125 - £150 and must be carried out by a "qualified person". If it's been quite some time since a test was last carried out at a property, it's usually to be expected that there will be some remedial work required to bring the property up to current standards.

Other key points

• Upon request, the report must be provided to the local housing authority within 7 days.
• The private landlord must supply a copy of the last report to any new tenant before occupation, or any prospective tenant within 28 days of a request from the prospective tenant.
• The Regulations require local housing authorities to enforce the rules and they have the power to arrange remedial action.
• Proven breaches of the Regulations can result in the local housing authority imposing a financial penalty of up to £30,000.

You can read the full regulations here.